A record number of state lawmakers, former lawmakers and aides have faced prosecution over the past several years, according to G. Terry Madonna, a pollster and political science professor at Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster.

"This is unprecedented" in modern Pennsylvania history, Madonna said.

That's largely the result of a state attorney general's investigation that started under now-Gov. Tom Corbett in 2007 and has led to charges against 25 people -- including party leaders -- connected to the Democratic and Republican caucuses from the state House of Representatives.

Jury selection for the last of those political corruption cases is scheduled to begin Wednesday in Dauphin County. The defendant is Stephen Stetler, a 62-year-old former state representative from York and former state revenue secretary. And his trial is scheduled for June 18.

Nils Frederiksen, spokesman for the state attorney general's office, said other cases are still part of ongoing court proceedings. But Frederiksen said Stetler is the last of those awaiting trial.

Stetler's case marks a milestone in the corruption scandal, which Sunshine Review editor Shannan Younger said differs from those in other states. Her organization advocates for local and state government transparency.

"I think what's unique about this is it seemed to be really wide ranging, and it wasn't just one party," said Younger. "It encompassed both parties, and people at all levels of power. ...This was very systemic."

'Stunningly high'

Stetler was charged in December 2009, along with former House Speaker Bill DeWeese. Both were accused of widespread misappropriation of public funds for political campaigns.

Agent with the Attorney General's Office and arresting Office Robert Drawbaugh, left, enters the courtroom for jury selection in the Stephen Stetler trial at Dauphin County Courthouse Wednesday. Drawbaugh is a former Spingettsbury Township Police detective.
(YORK DAILY RECORD/SUNDAY NEWS - KATE PENN)

The state attorney general's office initially sought to try DeWeese and Stetler together, but Stetler successfully petitioned the court for a separate trial.

A jury in February found DeWeese guilty of theft, conspiracy and other charges.

"They have a stunningly high percentage of convictions," Madonna said of the attorney general's office, adding that in the majority of cases, defendants have either been convicted or pleaded guilty.

The investigation led to a jury conviction and a six- to 14-year prison sentence for former Pennsylvania House Democratic whip Mike Veon. Former Republican House Speaker John Perzel agreed to testify for the prosecution, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to between 2 1/2 and five years in prison.

The investigation also led to guilty pleas and convictions against less well-known people, such as Elmer "Al" Bowman of Red Lion. He was sentenced to 18 months of probation, and ordered to pay a fine and do community service, after pleading guilty to a conspiracy charge. The attorney general said he developed a computer program for the benefit of Republican candidates that cost taxpayers $1.4 million.

Stetler's attorney, Joshua Lock, did not reply to a request for comment for this story. He has said that Stetler had not broken any laws under the U.S. Constitution.

Bob Kefauver, chairman of the York County Democratic Party, said he thought the attorney general's office had "the weakest case" against Stetler.

"Every case has to be judged on its own merits," Kefauver said. "And I don't know that there's any correlation here between some of those other convictions."

Kefauver said that prior to the attorney general's investigation, there were laws being violated and there were problems with the way business was being conducted in Harrisburg that needed to be addressed.

"The fact that indictments were sought and trials were held and convictions have been rendered is a plus in trying to clean up these problems," Kefauver said.

But he said the attorney general's office didn't handle the cases properly and had political motivations.

"What they basically did was they showed the members of the other caucuses what they were looking at, how they were looking at it, and tipped them off -- not directly, but certainly inadvertently -- that 'Hey, there's something you need to hide,'" Kefauver said.

Frederiksen, spokesman for the state attorney general's office, defended the office.

"I think the track record of the office has shown that these are legitimate cases. These were legitimate crimes," Frederiksen said. "...What we're talking about at the core is a violation of the public trust, and the people of Pennsylvania deserve more."

Madonna said the charges from the attorney general's office have changed part of the culture in Harrisburg.

"Overall, I think that it put lawmakers on notice," Madonna said.

But he said there are "still huge steps to be taken" to create a better legislature, including campaign finance, ethics and lobbying reform.

Timeline of charges

July 2008: The attorney general's office filed multiple counts of theft, conspiracy and conflict of interest against 12 people connected to the House Democratic caucus, alleging that they participated in a system where state employees would do campaign work and get compensated with taxpayer-funded bonuses.

November 2009: The attorney general's office filed charges against 10 people connected to the House Republican caucus, alleging that they used more than $10 million in taxpayer money for computer-assisted schemes designed to get Republicans elected in state races.

December 2009: Three more people with ties to the Democratic House were charged: Stephen Stetler, a former state representative from York and former state revenue secretary; former House Speaker Bill DeWeese; and DeWeese aide Sharon Rodavich.

Stetler, who was chairman of the House Democratic Campaign Committee from 2002 to 2006, was charged with conflict of interest, four counts of theft and criminal conspiracy to commit theft.

The grand jury presentment that recommended charges against Stetler said he authorized spending public funds in the form of state employee salaries and other expenses for researching Republican candidates; directed legislative employees to perform political work on state time; and used legislative personnel for political fundraising purposes.

Stetler Defense Fund

After charges were filed against Stephen Stetler, five prominent York County citizens created a fund to help with his legal bills.

"I've known Steve all my life, and I just don't think that he's done the things that he's been accused of," said Tom Wolf, chairman and CEO of the Wolf Organization and a former state revenue secretary."And I know him as a good person."

Wolf said the fund has received $132,930 in contributions, from 140 checks and one cash donation.

"There were a number of us who ... just wanted to help him," said Wolf.

Wolf said he did not know how high Stetler's legal bills were. But when Wolf and others started the fund, Wolf said he expected the bills to be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars and that any leftover money would be donated to charity.

Wolf said the list is current, despite the date on the document below.